Mated to the Wilde Bear novel Chapter 18

By eleven the next morning, the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Laurel had to fight the urge to cry at the unfairness of such a beautiful day. She kept her head down as she made her way back to the car at the end of the block. The realtor’s office had been her last hope, but in the end, it hadn’t been an option. Just like the apartment complexes and even the rent-per-week time share office she’d visited this morning. All of them wanted a reference from Kelly. None of them were going to get it. Not after what she’d pulled last night.

God, why did she wait so long to shift every time her animal wanted out? It never ended well, and now she’d ruined the little bit of friendship she’d had with Kelly and she had to find a new place to live, effective immediately.

She’d stood outside Kelly’s door and tried reasoning with the girl one more time, but it hadn’t worked. The last thing Kelly had said to her before she’d left the apartment: “Even if you’d paid a pet deposit, you’d still be out on your ass.”

She couldn’t get the image of their trashed apartment out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the mess she’d made.

As of this morning, she was now homeless. If she didn’t figure out something fast, she’d be sleeping in her car tonight.

Just in front of her, a bell chimed as someone exited a shop. The massive frame filled the sidewalk and Laurel pulled up short to avoid running into the person. His scent hit her at the same time she recognized the cut abdomen straining against the thin tee. She looked up at Xavier, relief washing over her for a split second before she remembered how things had ended last night. Dread crashed over her, and she looked away.

She moved to go around him, but he put his hand on her arm, and she froze, unable to move away from his touch.

“Laurel?” He said her name like it pained him, but she ignored it. She was in pain too. “What are you doing out here? I thought you’d be at work.”